Happy group
Business strategy

The power of online branding in a noisy market

- August 4, 2025 2 MIN READ

At a recent panel discussion on building and scaling tech teams, a recurring challenge stood out – hiring and opening doors is significantly harder without a strong company brand. Building a company’s brand takes time; a logo or catchy tagline is no longer enough. People still seek genuine connections in an era of information overload… Read more »

Business

School leaver edtech Year13 acquires local assistance platform Student Edge ahead of US push

- August 4, 2025 2 MIN READ

Edtech platform Year13, which helps school leavers with the transition to work, has acquired veteran student discounts and support platform Student Edge. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal for Year13, which coincidentally is 13-years-old, comes as cofounder and CEO Will Stubley prepared to relocate across the Pacific and join cofounder Saxon… Read more »

Business

Get your responses in to the 2025 Startup Muster survey by August 18

- August 4, 2025 2 MIN READ

Responses to the annual census of Australia’s startup ecoystem, Startup Muster close on August 18, so you have just two weeks left to have your say. – from educators to investors, accelerators, incubators, coworking spaces, service providers, government, precincts and professional services supporting startups – delivering a clear and comprehensive picture of the state of… Read more »

Business

Tank Stream Labs opens up in Adelaide

- August 4, 2025 < 1 MIN READ

Startup working space Tank Stream Labs has set up shop in a third state, opening the doors to its newest site, Tank Stream Suites Adelaide, today. The CBD site across two floors at 63 Pirie Street spans 2000-square-metres and includes private offices, open-plan coworking areas, boardrooms, meeting rooms, quiet booths, breakout zones, premium end-of-trip facilities… Read more »

Peter Thiel
Global tech

All about right-wing tech investor Peter Thiel, who’s reshaped US politics all the way to the White House

- August 4, 2025 8 MIN READ

The money is easy to trace. Scroll back through tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s political donations and you’ll soon hit US$15 million worth of transfers sent to Protect Ohio Values, JD Vance’s campaign fund. The donations, made in 2022, are a staggering contribution to an individual senate race, and helped put Vance (Thiel’s former employee at… Read more »

MadeComfy cofounders Sabrina Schwaighofer and Quirin Schwaighofer
Business

Veteran Airbnb management proptech MadeComfy exits for $50 million

- August 4, 2025 2 MIN READ

Sydney short-term rental management platform MadeComfy has been acquired Oyo, the travel business rival founded by 31-year-old Indian billionaire Ritesh Agarwal. The deal gives Oyo access to the Australian and New Zealand markets, which it sees as high-yield. It already operates in more than 35 countries, managing nearly 233,000 properties and is backed by SoftBank,… Read more »

Elon Musk
Business

Elon Musk’s attempt to avoid a $610,500 Australian fine over Twitter’s failures to report on tackling child sexual abuse just tanked. Again.

- August 1, 2025 3 MIN READ

Elon Musk’s Twitter, now rebranded as X, has gone down for a second time in court trying to avoid a $610,500 penalty imposed by Australia’s eSafety Commission for failing to properly respond to requests for information on how it tackles child sexual abuse material on the social media site X Corp initially failed to report on how… Read more »

Life hacks

Startup 360: Know thy podcast, where there’s a Will there’s a media way & the Vegemite space race

- August 1, 2025 2 MIN READ

Happy horse’s birthday! The way the cofounders of podcasting community engagement startup Dome met is positively old-school in an era of swiping left and right. Sophie Greiner and Bella Filacuridi met at an International Women’s Day event in Sydney, and the mutual love for the pop culture podcast Shameless launched their friendship. Six months later,… Read more »

Investible CEO Rod Bristow
Funding

3 Monash University health tech startups score $2.25 million in pre-Seed backing, supported by Breakthrough Victoria

- August 1, 2025 2 MIN READ

Breakthrough Victoria and Monash University have co-invested $2.25 million in three health tech startups, Myostellar, Fyton Bio, and Remagine Labs. The trio of Monash spinouts have potential to improve wellbeing for millions as well as reducing pressure on Victoria’s health system. Myostellar is pioneering a first-in-class biologic therapy to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by stimulating… Read more »

Scott Farquhar
AI/Machine Learning

Tech Council boss Scott Farquhar on Australia’s AI future and techno optimism to team up with government

- August 1, 2025 12 MIN READ

Over my career, I’ve always preferred doing rather than talking. Building things, solving problems, creating new ventures, not giving speeches about them. But I’m here today because I believe Australia is standing at the edge of the next great industrial revolution. One powered not by steam or electricity – but by artificial intelligence. And like… Read more »

Spriggy
Business

NAB and Cannon-Brookes-backed pocket money fintech Spriggy is shutting down its invest app, promising an all-in-one reboot

- July 31, 2025 2 MIN READ

Spriggy, the children’s pocket money fintech that’s been used by more than 1.3 million Australians, is shutting down Spriggy Invest, promising a “bigger and better” alternative in 2026. The fintech, which has raised nearly $60 million, and counts NAB Ventures and Grok, the family fund of Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, among its investors, emailed users… Read more »

Drone, farm, agriculture, agtech
Ag tech

Applications for evokeAG’s 2026 Groundbreakers program close this weekend

- July 31, 2025 2 MIN READ

Applications for the 2026 Groundbreakers program, run by the annual evokeAG agritech gathering, close this Sunday, August 3. The program is a launchpad for emerging talent from Australia and New Zealand for young agrifood leaders and innovators. It’s looking for people committed to delivering positive impact across the agrifood sector, from producing to processing and… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

An information expert factchecks OpenAI’s claims AI could deliver $115 billion in annual gains to Australia’s economy

- July 31, 2025 4 MIN READ

AI is on the agenda in Canberra. In August, the Productivity Commission will release an interim report on harnessing data and digital technology such as AI “to boost productivity growth, accelerate innovation and improve government services”. Shortly afterward, the government will host an Economic Reform Roundtable where AI policy will be up for discussion. AI… Read more »

man and woman in tech room
Business strategy

ACS says closing the digital skills gap could be worth $25 billion – and workers are hungry for training

- July 31, 2025 3 MIN READ

Closing digital skills gaps could create a $25 billion economic boost for Australia according to the 11th Australia’s Digital Pulse report, released this week by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) — the professional association of the nation’s technology professionals. A survey commissioned for the report and carried out by consultancy firm Deloitte found 77% of… Read more »